The history of personal computer design is characterized by continuing technological improvements not only in the microprocessors but also in associated components. A desirable objective is to provide a system unit design that is stable and in which the various components or assemblies thereof, can be replaced by the user with upgraded, improved components without requiring the user to have any technical skill or use special tools. Processor cards have been suggested in which the microprocessor and related components are mounted on a PCB that can be plugged into a mating connector on a planar board. Yet such a design may not be suitable for some current technology.
Current technology includes personal computers having thirty-two bit wide data and address paths which causes the processor card to have a multiplicity of wires and edge contacts. In order to plug such a card into a mating edge connector, a relatively great force is needed to spread the mating contact arms and develop the necessary wiping force required to establish good electrical contact. Such great force needs to be very carefully applied to the processor card in order not to bend or flex the card great enough to break a wire or a component.
Another objective of personal computer design is to provide a relatively low cost unit. As the number of contacts on a processor card increases, the cost of a single, mating connector increases non-linearly due to the high density of the contacts and the cost of building a long line of contact arms within the necessary close tolerances.